The A’s jumped Luzardo over Low-A, assigned him to the Cal League and promoted him to Double-A after just three starts at High-A. It was around that point when he cemented his status as the best left-handed pitching prospect in the game. The foundation for his filthy three-pitch mix is a low-to-mid-90s fastball that he locates to both sides of the plate. Once ahead in the count, he sits hitters down with his plus changeup or above-average curveball. At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Luzardo doesn’t cut the figure of a typical ace, but has the combination of stuff, command and pitchability that is typically seen in frontline starters. He logged 109.1 innings in his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery, and should eclipse 150 innings if he stays relatively healthy. The A’s surprisingly called up Sean Manaea in late April of 2016 with just three starts at Triple-A under his belt, so we could see Luzardo in the big-league rotation pretty early this season. Read Past Outlooks

ANALYSISThe prized southpaw continues to trend in the right direction. He could be pitching in minor-league games by the end of the month, and from there it may only be a few weeks until he has completed his version of a full spring training. Prior to the mid-March shoulder injury, Luzardo was a candidate to open the year in the big-league rotation, and he could make his big-league debut before the All-Star break if everything goes perfectly from here.

Brad Johnson re-examines his preseason list of potential value pitchers who were likely underrated by fantasy team owners, such as the Rays’ Tyler Glasnow, to see how they’re doing to start the season.

On the eve of Opening Day, Erik Halterman runs down the list of winners and losers in his final Job Battles update.

2018 Fantasy Outlook

It's not often that teams part with lefties with advanced pitchability who project to have at least two plus pitches, but that's exactly what the Nationals did in a mid-July trade that netted them Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson while sending Luzardo, Sheldon Neuse and Blake Treinen to Oakland. Luzardo's fastball sits in the mid-90s and he boasts above-average command and a changeup that projects as a second plus offering. He fell to the 94th pick in the 2016 draft after undergoing Tommy John surgery less than two months before the draft. However, prior to the injury, he was seen as a first-round talent. Even if his curveball never becomes better than an average pitch, the package equates to a No. 3 starter. His 2017 production was outstanding, but he was working on strict pitch counts and his overall repertoire was way too advanced for most short-season hitters. Building up his workload and getting more consistent with his secondaries will be his directives for 2018. He could move extremely quickly once the training wheels come off in 2019.

More Fantasy News

Late-May farm debut projected

POakland Athletics AAA

Shoulder

May 16, 2019

Luzardo (shoulder), who has been throwing from 120 feet and completed a bullpen session earlier this week, is expected to begin pitching in minor-league games by the end of May, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Luzardo (shoulder) is making encouraging progress from the left rotator cuff strain that shut him down in late March, Dave Sessions of MLB.com reports. "Luzardo feels absolutely fantastic, but he's still not throwing yet," manager Bob Melvin said. "He's champing at the bit -- he wants to throw. But we also understand for a guy like him, when you set a timetable, there's really no need to speed it up. We just want to make sure when he comes back, he's fully healthy."